Mint & Lace: Dawn + Dave's Rustic DIY Wedding

The more DIY weddings we see and share, the more we come do admire couples creativity and dedication. No matter if you have very little or a lot of DIY details, it's a big task which takes time, effort and a whole lot of Pinterest research. Today's real wedding couple, Dawn and Dave, went above and beyond with DIY details, enlisting friends to help, using authentic antique materials and even having a dedicated crafting party. Get inspired to pick up your glue gun and enjoy this Pentre Mawr Country House wedding by Emily Olivia.

Like many Dawn and Dave met at university, but didn't get together until their paths crossed years later at a party. Twelve years later Dave proposed...

Dawn remembers the proposal..."On a trip when Dave was climbing and I was holding the rope, we’d sat down opposite a volcano in Tenerife and he said he had something stuck on the end of the rope which I more or less ignored. Even when I saw it was a ring shape I didn’t quite twig but got the message when I saw it was my late Grannie’s engagement ring which I had always loved and my mum had given to him to give to me."

A relaxed pair Dawn and Dave wanted their wedding to be chilled and effortless, with lots of different areas for people to relax and have fun in. Dawn explains why Pentre Mawr Country House was perfect for this..."The countryside setting, the exclusive use which included safari style huts and camping for family and friends so we could all stay together. Having areas such as the walled garden, lawn, marquee and barn to move through so that although it was all at the same place, each area had a special purpose."

A unique country house space, the wedding day was filled with activities including a bouncy castle for the kids, an ice cream cart to keep guests cool and even falconry birds.

To put their own spin on rustic Dawn and Dave enlisted friends and family with Dawn's dad lending his vintage gramophone, Dave’s mum, Dawn's aunty, Dawn's mum and Dave's sister making the cakes and Dawn's aunt who is a florist doing all the flowers. What a family!

Dawn and Dave even had a crafting day in the run up to the wedding, where everyone lended a helping a hand in making sure all the final DIY details were ready. Dawn recalls..."We had a craft day to make lots of the decorations including the fabric strip banner, glittered feathers and place settings made using my Grannie’s lace. My mum lived with us for 2 weeks before the wedding helping me to get everything ready - she was fantastic despite not knowing what I was going for half the time! We enjoyed making the eucalyptus wreaths, table plan, order of the day and stars, using craft supplies and a machine that cut out lettering. We also made fabric drapes in my favourite shades to hang in the wooden pergoda for the ceremony which my brother then put up for us. My mum has a sweet tooth so hired an icecream trike for us, then we made treat tables of sweets and ‘marshmallow mountains’ with chocolate and biscuits for toasting on the fire pits."

Huge congratulations to you both and thanks so much for sharing your wedding day with us all! A big thank you also goes to Emily Olivia Photography for sharing her work with us. To see more from Emily Olivia Photography visit www.emilyolivia.co.uk